When I was a little girl, like most little girls (and little boys too, I imagine), I hated shots. I don’t remember them every really hurting, I just didn’t think it was right that I should sit still while someone stuck something sharp in me. One of those natural survival instincts, I guess. I always swore I could never be a drug addict because I could never stand to shoot up.

When I was in elementary school, one of the kids in my school was bitten by a rabid animal. We were all grossed out (is that still a term?) about this kid having to take shots in the STOMACH. And guess what? The first time I ever had to give myself a shot was … in the stomach. After my hip replacement surgery I had to take two weeks of Lovenox (blood thinner) injections and the injection site was the fatty area around the navel (or at least mine has some padding). You can go back and read the blog — I didn’t like those either. They didn’t hurt, but I felt like an invalid every day when I had to give myself the injection.

This Wednesday I get lots of injections. It is finally, finally time for my Simponi shot (again)! It’s been a miserable 10 days or so as the drug’s effects have worn off.

The second shot is my H1N1 flu shot. I have been searching Dallas high and low for one. I leave in two weeks for a trip to London. They’ve had their fair share of swine flu cases over there, but just traveling in a closed airplane for 10 hours each way, as well as being cooped on the tube and on buses, I’m sure my risk of exposure is going to be higher than it is driving in my personal car in Dallas. It takes a bit of time after you get the shot to build up the immunity and I’ve been getting a bit fretful that I wouldn’t be able to locate the vaccine. More than that, I’m a bit aggravated that there’s a major imbalance between the amount of doses than have been going to the free health clinics, and those of us with health insurance are having to wait. (You can tell what a great job the government is doing running your flu vaccinations — are you sure you want them running your health care program?)

Then it dawned on me.

For once, being female has its advantages. Being a woman, I have an OB/GYN. In fact I’ve had the same OB/GYN for longer than either one of us would like to remember. He’s known me for three out of my four husbands. Of course, OB guys have the vaccine because of their pregnant patients. BINGO! I called the doc’s nurse. Left a message including why I needed the shot even though I’m not expecting twins any time soon, and they came through with flying colors. They have a “few” doses left and they’ve put my name on one.

My OB/GYN is in the same medical campus as my dentist, so day after tomorrow when I’m over getting my root canal finished up, I can drop by and get the vaccination.

So I’ll get not one, but three shots on Wednesday (Novocaine from the dentist, H1N1, and my Simponi injection).

And this little girl who used to run screaming out the door at the thought of getting a shot, is very thankful that come Wednesday, she’ll be one happy little pincushion.

Here’s hoping that the little things in life that you need to make you happy come your way as well.

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4 thoughts on “That was then, this is now”

Carla — smart thinking! I’d have been worried about air travel and visiting GB (or anywhere else, for that matter) without having the vaccine first, too.

I haven’t had the H1N1 shot yet. I get my medical care through the VA, and while they got the seasonal flu vaccine back in Sept. and jabbed me with that at the first opportunity, so far they don’t have the swine flu type. I was hoping to get that one this last Saturday when I saw my rheumatologist for a quarterly checkup, but no such luck. So I’ll just wait, along with everyone else, and in the meantime wash my hands frequently.

Have a great day Wednesday, gritting your teeth through the shots. Bravo!

There is so much we never imagine. I give myself Humira injections, as my RA’ers to do. I remember19 years ago, my mother being pregnant with my now 18 year old brother and having to give herself injections for her diabetes. I used to cry everytime I saw her, but she did what she had to do to make sure she and my brother were healthy. I never imagined that the one that made me cringe would be the same thing I would have to do years later to keep myself healthy. Life isn’t what we expect it to be…